This collection of funny and witty animal fables was originally published in 1842 in French as Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux. The authors of these fables are a who’s who of literature in the mid 19th-century including Honoré de Balzac, George Sand. Also The Private Lives of Animals boasts some fine, imaginative and evocative illustrations by caricaturist J. J. Grandville. Each drawing has a humour and satirical inventiveness that brings warmth and enjoyment to the story. Also I have dipped into it and it looks really fascinating and fun to read. The illustrations and the book itself are all now public domain. Find out more here